


like father, like son

by call_me_steve



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: 5+1 Things, Bruce Wayne is a Bad Parent, Canon-Typical Violence, Cute Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson is Damian Wayne’s Parent, Dick Grayson-centric, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Recovery, Undercover Missions, adorable Damian Wayne, but this time around, it's only dick, movies - Freeform, normally i appreciate the solidarity of Two Dads, sorry folks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:14:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24559735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/call_me_steve/pseuds/call_me_steve
Summary: Dick contemplates what Damian means to him, and what their relationship really is. He doesn't understand why Bruce is held to the regard he is in Damian's mind, and why it means so much to Dick that Damian'shappy. Dick also thinks about Bruce, and how he fits into the puzzle that Dick calls their life.Or, in other words: Five times that Damian called Dick his dad, and the one time that he did it on purpose.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson
Comments: 121
Kudos: 1429





	1. happy

**Author's Note:**

> here we are!! some of these might be a little short, but i'm gonna strive to keep them all above 1500 words!! i'm a sucker for dick & dami fics, so it was only a matter of time before i got around to writing one of these.
> 
> check out my tumblr: [potato-reblob](https://potato-reblob.tumblr.com/)
> 
> edit as of june 6: i FORGOT TO MAKE IT A MULTI-CHAPTER FIC WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME

Bruce and Damian are downstairs in the library, having tea, and Dick is curled up in one of the manor’s dens, scrolling through his phone as he listens to the click-clack of Tim’s keyboard. He has to keep on scrolling back up every once in a while, because even though his eyes are drinking in the swirl of colors and the blocks of text, his mind isn’t registering the pictures or the words. All he can think about is how Damian’s downstairs. 

With Bruce. 

When Dick had gotten the notice that he could have the weekend off, he’d flocked to Gotham for two reasons: Damian and Tim. He’d figured that with Bruce either abroad or out on the streets- since Damian was grounded, at the moment, and Tim was benched- that he’d be able to spend some quality time with his little brothers. It wasn’t like they’d be doing much, so maybe Dick could take them out to see a movie, or to go grab dinner at that place Tim’s been dying to try. 

Once he’d arrived, he’d found Bruce rushing through the foyer, peeling off layers of coats and suit jackets and scarves in his mad rush up the stairs. When Dick found Tim in the den, Tim had explained that Bruce had promised to spend a few nights with Damian this week. One had been on Monday, which Bruce had to skip because of the Riddler. The second had been Wednesday afternoon, where Bruce was _supposed_ to pick Damian up from school, and take him out. Bruce had never showed up, and in the end, Damian had walked himself home in Gotham’s sub-zero temperatures. Today- Friday- was the only day that Bruce _had_ shown up- and three hours late, at that. 

Tim had said all of it with a scowl on his face, before proposing that he and Dick wait until Damian stormed away from Bruce, and then leave the manor. “It’s bound to happen. B’s messed up one too many times this week,” he’d said, far too casually. “You know, if you’d called before coming over, I’m sure Damian would’ve promised to spend the weekend with _you_ instead of B. At least _you_ keep your promises.” 

Of course, Dick had promptly picked up on the frustration in Tim’s voice and had agreed. They had put on a movie, to pass the time, but it seemed as if Damian was adamant to spend time with Bruce tonight. Not once did Dick hear a shout or a yell- not _once_ did Tim glance at his phone, only to storm out of the room in hopes of recovering something. 

The movie ended, and neither of them made a move to play a new one. 

_Maybe,_ Dick thinks now, _if Damian knew I was here, he’d come out with me and Tim instead of staying here with Bruce._

Dick immediately feels guilty for it, and he clicks off his phone, only to turn it back on as he shifts in his seat. Tim looks up, briefly, slamming his fingers into the keys on his laptop. Their eyes meet for all but a second before Tim returns his gaze to the W.E. files he’d been editing. Unlike Dick- who’s thrown himself over the couch haphazardly- Tim’s sitting ram-rod straight. Earlier in the week, he’d been thrown about by a run-of-the-mill crook and had hurt his back and his ribs. Dick’s positive that the injuries are messing with him, but when Tim had caught him looking, he’d only written it off as: _I’ve got bad posture._

With a huff, Dick slides further on the couch, his shoulder almost touching the floor. He rolls over so he’s upside-down, hair ghosting the carpet. When he happens to think, _Maybe they’re just having a really good time,_ his mind is quick to warp it into, _Maybe Damian_ did _storm off, and I just never heard it._

The thought process makes Dick wonder, when _did_ Bruce become so bad at parenting? When did worrying about Damian- when it came to Bruce- become Dick’s whole life? Dick can remember times, from before Damian, when Bruce had shown up to his concerts or his school plays. He’d never been late to pick him up, save _once,_ on Dick’s birthday. That was only because Bruce had gone off to the pet-shelter to pick up Ace, but Ace had proven to have been much more of a handful than Bruce was expecting him to be.

Dick thinks back to _Jason’s_ childhood in the manor. Admittedly, Dick hadn’t been as big a part in Jason’s life as he’d wanted too. He’d been upset at Bruce, for just _handing off_ Dick’s old-persona. _Robin_ had been _Dick’s-_ it’d been his _mother’s._ Still, he had to admit that Jason did a wonderful job as Robin. It got him killed in the end, and that death had absolutely _torn_ Bruce. Maybe that’s when it started. 

Maybe it was the grief that did this. 

That wasn’t _fair,_ though. Bruce shouldn’t be allowed to just _go off_ and break Damian’s heart all the time. He should be a father first- Batman hadn’t come first for _Dick_ when he’d been watching over Damian, for all that time. Dick knows that Damian thinks the world of Bruce, no matter how many times he gets that _R_ torn away from him. Even when Dick was Batman, and Damian had hardly known Bruce for more than a few months at that point, it was still _Father this_ and _Father that._

While Dick can’t help but loathe Bruce for what he’s done, Damian continues to place him upon the same pedestal that Talia had. _“Father,”_ he’ll say, _“is the very best of the best.”_

 _Please,_ like someone who couldn’t be bothered to remember to pick up his own goddamn _child_ could be the best. 

Dick pushes himself up, and after a bit of flailing, manages to sit up straight. “I’m gonna go check on them,” he says, even though he _knows_ that if he shows up, Damian might just abandon Bruce for him. Might being the keyword- Dick knows that the kid loves him, but Dick’s _human_ to Damian. (At least, he _thinks_ he is. Damian has never had a problem pointing out Dick’s flaws, unlike when he’s with Bruce.) “I’ll be right back.” 

Tim gives him a look that tells him to _wait for it, don’t push it._ As much as Dick knows he should listen, he still pushes himself to his feet-

A sharp, squeal-y _“BABA!”_ breaks through the air, slamming into Dick’s chest hard enough to send him floundering back onto the couch. When he peers up over the edge of the couch, he sees Damian, hands braced on the back of it, face right in front of Dick’s. Instead of anger, or even tears, there’s a huge smile plastered over his face. It’s one of those rare ones that Dick hardly sees anymore. He’ll get enough of Damian’s tiny, genuine ones, but this-

It’s enough to take Dick’s breath away. 

_“Richard!”_ Damian says, just as Dick’s eyes start looking around for Bruce. He’s not here- but why would Damian call for _Baba_ if Bruce isn’t-? “To your feet! Father has just told me about how you and h-” 

Just like all of those posts Dick had been scrolling through before hadn’t registered, Damian’s words don’t, either. He understands enough to be able to hazard a nod when Damian gives his sleeve a tug and says, “We are going to attempt the same thing, though I am _positive_ that we will show Father up! We _were_ the best, after all.” 

_We were the best_ echos in Dick’s head, and before his thoughts can drift to Heretic, he makes a quick detour to admire the soft, fluttery feeling that blooms in his chest. Dick looks over to Tim, who gives Dick the smallest smile and a nod that says _yeah, I’m pretty sure you’re thinking the right thing._

Damian just called him _‘baba’._ Damian just called _him-_

“Okay!” Dick laughs out, when Damian gives another insistent tug. “Okay, okay, I’m coming! I didn’t realize you knew that I was here.” 

Damian gives him a look- one of those, _you believe that I_ wouldn’t _know that?,_ looks he likes to give so much. “Of _course_ I knew that you were here,” he says, brashly, as Dick rounds the couch. “I know where everyone is, at every moment.” 

“That’s code for: _Bruce told me you were here, Dick,”_ Tim snarks, clapping his laptop shut. It’s all in good humor, and so is the glare that Damian shoots him. “There’s no _way_ that you and Dick will beat their old record. It’s highly impossible, given the circumstances.” 

“And just _what_ are these circumstances?” Dick taunts, even though he doesn’t understand _what_ record they’re trying to beat, because he hadn’t actually been paying attention to anything but ‘baba’ and Damian’s smile. “I’m pretty sure that Lil’ D could beat any old record that B and I made, back in the day.” 

Tim’s eye twitches when Dick says ‘back in the day’. If Dick’s being honest, that’s the only reason he uses it so much. It’s like those few weeks, back when Tim was Robin, when Bruce had started to incorrectly use ‘kid slang’. It had always riled Tim up so badly, there were times when he would skip out on patrol with Bruce, and Dick would find him down in Crime Alley slamming his own head into the wall. 

_Does Bruce ever try to rile Damian up for fun?_ Dick wonders. _Does he ever poke fun at Damian like I used to do? Does he even know_ how _to do it, without making him upset?_

“Perhaps,” Damian says, slowly, like he’s not sure if he wants to say it, “you and Father could team up, and we could see who _really_ can do better.” 

There’s a sparkle in Damian’s eyes that speaks of: _I’m challenging you._ Honestly, Dick’s only surprised that _Damian’s_ not choosing to team up with Bruce. 

Tim knows a challenge when he sees one, and once he happily takes Damian up on the offer, Damian bounces on his toes like he’s about to launch off like a rocket. _“Wonderful!”_ he cheers, that blinding smile back on his face. “Come, then! We’ll prepare at _once!_ I’m certain Father will be plenty happy to attempt to beat his old record, now that he will have a challenge!” 

For some reason, that wording makes Dick’s stomach clench. That’s really all it takes to have Bruce actually _do_ something with you, isn’t it? 

It takes a challenge. 

(Damian’s never been a challenge for Dick. Maybe that’s why they work so well.) 

Damian’s hand reappears on Dick’s sleeve, tugging him out of the den. Tim rushes to keep up, and the whole time, ‘baba’ rings in Dick’s ears. 

It feels good.


	2. scared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick, Jason, and Damian are kidnapped while out on patrol. Dick gets roughed up a bit, and Damian worries over it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: dick gets pushed around and hurt,, slight hints of racism,,, and that's kinda it
> 
> tysm for the support, by the by!! 
> 
> also, if this chapter isn't the kind of stuff you want to read, it's perfectly okay to skip it! i am going to have each chapter come after the next (with small time skips, mayhaps), but each chapter is roughly going to follow the same line of thought: (the summary of the fic) dame's calling dick 'baba', or 'dad'.
> 
> also!! tysm for all of the support i've gotten on this fic in such little time! yall make me happy :)

Weeks pass, and time finds Dick and his brothers locked up in some dingy warehouse, dominos pressed to their faces and belts thrown haphazardly into a different room. Dick’s wrists are pinned up by hand-cuffs, but the metal is too tight and the position- hands and wrists high above his head- wrenches at his shoulders. He gives them another experimental tug, wishing that he’d squirreled away a lock-pick set in his costume, or that he’d implemented pockets after what Stephanie had told him. 

Jason’s in much the same position, sitting on his heels with his hands above him. His helmet has been thrown to the side already, to show fresh blood dripping down his nose. It’s a good thing that Jason had always been adamant about wearing a domino mask beneath his helmet- even if he hardly cared for his secret identity anymore. There’s a sour look on his face, possibly from the discomfort. It could also be because of his jacket, which had been taken after they’d searched his pants, and had taken his plentiful holsters on his thighs. 

While their kidnappers hadn’t been able to grab Tim in their haste- he’d hidden himself in the rafters, but had assured them that he had their trackers online before their comms had been torn from their ears- Damian lies on the ground to Jason’s left. His hands are cuffed behind his back, but he hadn’t been strung up like Dick and Jason. Right now, his eyes are closed. Minutes earlier, he’d opened them and Dick got to see the big dots in the whites of his mask- which always speak of blown pupils. 

Dick’s not sure if it’s out of fear, or whatever knock-out drug they’d used on him. Either way, the blank look in Damian’s eyes had set off all the wrong alarms in Dick’s mind. The only thing keeping him from a full blown freak out is the way that their captors stalk by every few minutes, pacing back and forth in front of them. 

There’s always pros and cons that come with being kidnapped, in Dick’s opinion. They only depend on when he’s kidnapped. If it happens when he’s Dick Grayson, then Dick has- basically- confirmation that he’s not going to die. Sure, he might get roughed up, but whoever had swiped him is only after the money that being a Wayne brings. It also means that Dick’s completely powerless to do anything, though. He _can_ act, but only in fear and when it won’t put his identity at risk. As _Nightwing,_ though, he can act whenever the hell he wants. The mask brings a certain feeling of safety. He _knows_ he can do something- but he also knows that whoever had kidnapped him is out for revenge. Dick’s more likely to die as Nightwing, when kidnapped. 

That’s what makes this especially hard. 

Dick’s not certain if they’ve been kidnapped as a revenge plot for Batman, or as a revenge plot to kill _them_ off. And while Dick feels more comfortable acting out as Nightwing, he also knows that he’s at a disadvantage. One wrong move, and his brothers could get hurt. 

He can only hope that they’re bait for Batman. If they’re bait, then the chances of them making it out alive have just increased _dramatically._

They’ll be okay, Dick hopes. 

At his side, he misses Jason’s loud shout in their captor’s direction. This captor- one of three- is tall, but he has a very distinct beer belly. Dick, for all intents and purposes, has begun to call him _Joe._ He’s obviously a hard core American- he’d sneered over all three of the vigilante’s darker skin tones, as he’d done up their bonds- but Dick has no idea if he’s working for anyone bigger. Black Mask, maybe? The Penguin? It can’t be the Joker- he’s away in Arkham, and he normally prefers something much more _dramatic._

Joe stops in his pacing- he’s been on watch for the past half hour, and Dick assumes they’re taking hour long shifts- and drifts over to them, face twisted up. He’s got a stubble on his face that looks scratchy instead of cool. Whenever he speaks, he spits all over the place. Dick doesn’t like him much.

“The _hell_ did you just say?” he shouts, and spittle flies onto Dick’s cheek. He squirms in his seat, wanting to do nothing more than to wipe it off. He side-eyes Jason, hoping that he knows what he’s doing. 

Jason adjusts his seat on his heels, but stays closed lip. He’s trying to rile Joe up, and Dick just prays that it won’t backfire on them. All Jason does is tilt his head to the side, arching one of his brows, as if trying to say, _are you hearing things?_

Joe- clearly not very happy with being made a fool- reaches out and grabs at Jason’s jaw in his grubby hands, after he crouches down. He pulls Jason’s face closer to his and snarls, and out of fear, Dick says, “Don’t touch him, man-” 

There’s no way to explain how fast Joe drops his hand and turns to look at Dick, nearly foaming at the mouth. It’s quick enough that Dick almost physically reels back and slams his head into the wall behind him, at least. “What are _you_ gonna do about it?” he asks Dick, standing back to his full height. 

Dick looks him in the eye, defiant, and shrugs. “Listen, I just think that you should show some respect for the people protecting your city, is all. I mean- I’m sure you have a family too- and Gotham’s a very dangerous place to live.” 

_“Respect?”_ Joe laughs, before he looks at something out of the corner of his eye. He’s looking over at Damian, who has his eyes open, now. Damian’s not really looking at anyone. He’s just staring off into space. “Oh, I’ll show you _respect,_ Nightwing.” 

For a moment, Dick thinks that he might just pull away and attack _Damian-_ Dick doesn’t like that look in his eyes, and the way that he snarls out _respect_ makes his skin crawl. Dick has been kidnapped time and time again, alongside his brothers or his other friends, and while he _has_ been roughed up, a kidnapper always punishes someone by hurting those close to them. 

But, instead, Joe reaches out and grabs Dick’s jaw like he’d done with Jason, and pulls Dick forward hard enough to wrench at his shoulders. His wrists stay pinned up, but his head and body rock forward. Dick lets out a shout, and Jason gives one of his own, warning Joe to back up. Joe doesn’t let go of Dick’s jaw. His hold is tight enough to bruise, and Dick’s afraid that if he holds any _tighter,_ Joe might just dislocate his jaw. 

Suddenly, Joe’s chest is right up in front of Dick’s face, as Joe reaches out behind Dick. His fingers wrap around Dick’s cuffs, pulling them off of the hook they’d been held on. Without trying, Dick falls forward onto Joe’s chest. He tries to pry himself away, but Joe’s hold on his jaw is too unyielding. 

Finally, the hold disappears and Dick lets his head hang forward. He begins to choke out, “Is that all you’ve got?”, but Joe’s hands yank on Dick’s cuffs again, twisting him around before throwing him onto the ground. This time, Dick doesn’t let himself cry out, even though it jolts his body. He hears Damian make a noise, and hears Jason shout, “Leave him alone- _Jesus-”_

Joe buries a hand into Dick’s hair and lifts his head up enough for him to look Damian in the eyes. His pupils are still blown, but Dick _knows_ he’s seeing what’s happening. He looks scared, oddly enough. He looks the child he always should have been able to be. The thought is a weird one- Dick’s always used to seeing Damian lock his feelings in. It hurts to see, but this raw show of emotion somehow hurts worse. 

Not even a moment later, Dick’s face slams into the concrete floor of the warehouse. His nose cracks at the first blow- he’d broken it just the other day, and now he’s not sure if it’ll heal right, again. Blood spurts from his nose, dripping onto the ground and bathing it red. Out of instinct, Dick tries to thrust his hands forward to touch his nose, but they don’t budge from their spot behind his back. At least his shoulders don’t hurt as bad, he tries to reason. 

“The hell is your _problem-”_ Dick tries, before his head’s forced back into the ground. The motion repeats, over and over. Each time, pain rockets through Dick’s skull. It feels like his head is bouncing around, up there. Soon, Jason’s shouts even start to smear together into some sort of weird static. The hand in Dick’s hair disappears by the sixth time he’d been slammed down, and Dick crumples onto the ground with a heavy gasp. He blinks, looking back into Damian’s eyes. He tries his best to let Damian know that it’s not as bad as it looks- which, it’s probably not, if Dick’s being honest. 

Damian’s eyes- milky grey through the whites of the domino- stay steady on Dick. Something trickles down his cheek, but it’s not red. 

The moment pain explodes in Dick’s gut, Damian’s brows fly up in surprise. His lips move in a familiar way, but Dick knows he’s not calling out his name, or Nightwing. Through the static, Dick can only hear one word, quiet and laced with alarm.

 _“Baba-”_ Damian gasps out, and the force of the blow sends Dick rolling. He ends up with his back to Damian and Jason, nose still dripping blood onto the ground. For some reason, instead of calling for Joe to stop, he thinks: _why in the world would Damian call me_ that _again._

The next hit Dick registers to be a kick, right to his stomach. It’s enough to send bile creeping up his throat. Dick has to swallow it down, biting on his lip hard enough to draw more blood, in hopes of not retching. He tries his best to look up, when shoes come into view. They’re very nice shoes- not Joe’s old beat up boots. 

Someone says something. Dick can’t hear it as his mind plays _‘baba’_ on repeat. 

Dick’s being moved, seconds later. His feet drag on the ground as he’s pulled by his wrists, and hazily, he blinks along with the tremors that wrack his shoulders. All in all, that wasn’t the _worst_ beating he’s ever gotten. It doesn’t even rank in any of the top charts. Whoever’s dragging him places his wrists back on the hook, and it’s up to Dick to rearrange his legs so he can sit back on his heels. If he doesn’t, he’ll be awkwardly hanging by his wrists, which is something he really doesn’t want to do. 

Once he’s pinned back up, his eyes have trouble fixing on Joe and his companion. It’s a man in a nice business suit- Captor number two. He’s got one of those thin, French-style mustaches. Dick had taken to calling _him_ Pierre, if only for the amusement it brought. Pierre looks like he’s ripping into Joe, even if their words aren’t really making any sense. 

Dick hears a buzz to his side, and turns over to see Jason’s mouth moving. Dick can barely make out _‘the hell -- wrong -- stupid asshole’_ before Jason stops speaking. His eyes shift to peak at Damian, who’s busied himself with trying to sit up. His movements are slow and sluggish. Jason asks him something Dick can’t understand, and Damian looks up as fast as he can to utter, “I’m going- get you _out.”_

Dick can only watch as Damian wriggles his wrists beneath his butt and over his legs, so that they’re no longer behind his back. Then, he struggles to his feet, wobbling all the while. Dick’s heart starts to pound as he sneaks a look at Pierre and Joe-

They see Damian. Joe advances, brows pointed down, furious. He reaches out for Damian’s tunic- he no longer has his cape, though Dick’s not sure he can remember why they took it- and plucks him from the ground. Jason throws his whole body forward in rage, but with his wrists still pinned up, it’s a pointless movement. 

Dick’s heart stops pounding in his chest. 

Damian spits out _‘baba’_ again, in a meaningless babble as he kicks out his legs. His eyes find Dick, and he struggles harder. Dick can’t make himself _breathe_ right, much less move. 

_Damian,_ he thinks, _Damian, Damian, Damian-_

“Put him _down,”_ he says, and he’s not sure if it makes sense or not, because they don’t _listen,_ why don’t they _listen,_ Damian’s counting on Dick to do something, Dick can’t _do_ anything, why won't they put him down, put him _down-_

The entire building shakes. Joe drops Damian to the ground. Pierre looks afraid. 

_Batman’s here._


	3. sleepy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which, as Dick and Damian recover, they watch movies with their brothers, and Dick tucks Damian into bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> or, alternatively titled: rea!! y won't u finish the next chapter of i am we!! y won't u literally write anything else!!! well, i've got news for u,,,,,, idk. idk thats what. ok.
> 
> so yeah, here u go, no warnings just movies. 
> 
> also: originally, none of these chapters were supposed to be as connected as they are, but the way they've been coming out, they're going to lead up to something (aka, chapter 5, in which damian calls dick dad one last time before our +1). the premise of the fic is still the same! but just letting u kno that Yes there is a Plot.

Bruce doesn’t stick around long enough to worry over them. Instead, he throws himself into his work like he always does. When Dick says he’s going to go recover at his apartment in Blüdhaven, Bruce snarls at him and tells him he’s to stay at the manor. For a bit, Dick thinks about slipping away anyway, because he’s an  _ adult. _ Instead, he thinks about Damian and he thinks about Jason- he thinks about how Tim had rushed over to him to wrap him in a hug, the first moment that he’d seen them again. 

Dick stays at the manor for his siblings, not for Bruce. He doesn’t go on patrol for his  _ siblings, _ not for  _ Bruce. _

A few days pass, and he spends them with Damian, nearly glaring at Bruce every time that he tries to rope Damian into some sort of activity. Damian doesn’t seem too happy to tear himself from Dick’s side either. He sticks to Dick like glue, and Dick’s all too happy to humor him. 

Of course, Damian spends the next few days after the kidnapping trudging through the house. He takes nap after nap despite snarling over them, claiming that as both a Wayne and an al Ghul- though, Dick hears the undercurrent that claims he might not be  _ either- _ he doesn’t need something as foolish as sleep. Whenever Damian sleeps, Dick sleeps, and the one good thing about sleeping around the house all day is that it means Dick gets to rope  _ Tim _ into sleeping, too. If Dick’s napping on the couch, it’s easy to get Tim to clap his laptop shut so that Tim can come drop down beside him.

Somehow, Dick even manages to get  _ Jason _ to lounge around with them. Most of the time, Jason would make a bee-line for his own safe house in Gotham, rather than stay in the manor with Bruce. After this time, though, Jason decided to  _ stick around. _ He claims it’s for Alfred’s food-  _ because nothin’ can even compare to Alfie’s homemade dinners- _ but Dick reckons it’s because he’s worried.

Isn’t  _ that _ something?

While Dick scrolls through his phone- or naps- with Damian and Tim curled up on his sides, Jason will sit with their feet in his lap. He’ll perch a book on Dick’s calves and read through it, until it’s time for him to go collect another one, or until he, too, falls asleep. Sometimes, Jason will even set the book aside when he sees that someone else- along with Dick- is awake. He’ll play a movie- nothing action, surprisingly, because there’s always  _ one _ person still conked out. If it’s just him and Dick, or Tim too, Jason will mute the movie and they’ll come up with their own dialogue for the characters. 

They mostly do that because Damian’s a very light sleeper, and whenever Damian is awake, the movies they chose are ones that Dick deems  _ imperative _ that everyone sees at least once in their life. Damian, however, never really seems all too interested in things like CGI and animation- though he  _ does _ watch each movie with rather apt attention. When Damian watches a movie, it’s either in complete and utter silence, or it’s with questions upon questions. Most times, Dick’s learned, Damian likes to watch a movie twice. The first time will go by with Damian trying to drink each scene in completely, and then the second time, he’ll start asking his questions.

It’s kind of cute, and Dick has gotten used to re-watching a movie for Damian. His questions aren’t even bad ones- just ones that ask,  _ what does that mean?, _ or,  _ why would he go after her? _ Dick learns that Damian doesn’t exactly grasp the concept of romantic love, more often than not. He won’t understand why the main character lingers just long enough to tell the love interest things that don’t  _ really _ need to be said, under the pressure of time. He won’t understand why an antagonist or protagonist will go wild with rage after something happens with that love interest. 

Oddly enough, though, he  _ does _ understand the movies more centered around  _ platonic _ love- or found family tropes. He’ll bite at his thumb nail- a weird little tic that he hadn’t done when Dick was first getting to know him- when he watches as a father figure does something for the main character, or when something happens between two characters whose friendship has bonded them closer than ever before. 

It only makes sense that Damian likes those kinds of movies, Dick thinks. He enjoys  _ Into the Spiderverse, _ despite all of it’s loud colors and it’s animation style. It’s the kind of movie that  _ Duke _ would appreciate more- Dick had actually gone to the theaters with Duke to see it. While Damian doesn’t really grasp the whole concept of Gwen and Miles’ relationship beyond possibly friendship, he seems to completely  _ adore _ Miles’ and  _ Peter B.’s _ relationship. (While his nose  _ does _ turn up when he sees Penny, he does seem to enjoy her own relationship with her father’s robot.) 

Still, when Jason realizes this, he purposefully cues up a whole bunch of live-action romance movies. They’re the kind with cheesy plots, with a beautiful woman and a man with striking eyes playing the main roles, and miscommunication as their antagonist. Damian sits through them, and instead of watching quietly, he asks questions. He asks:  _ It’s clear that he’s not very nice to her. Why in the world would she bother to give him her time? _

Honestly, it’s a bit baffling to hear. Damian grew up with  _ Talia _ watching over him, and she’s always loved Bruce, no matter what. 

Even so, Dick explains each answer he gives, answering Damian’s questions by the time he has another one. Dick’s not sure if Damian’s learning anything besides unrealistic standards- and it shows, when he asks a question about Bruce and Talia’s own relationship.  _ Mother loves him,  _ he says, _ so doesn’t this mean that in the end, they’ll come back together? _

Dick doesn’t like the question, and is thankful when Jason replies. He’s not thankful for how  _ bluntly _ Jason puts it, citing Bruce and Selina’s relationship and how Talia won’t ever have another chance with Bruce.  _ Even so, _ Jason finishes as the heroine of the story finally meets love interest number three,  _ if you ended up having both Bruce  _ and _ Talia parenting you  _ together, _ you’d come out way worse than you are now. _

_ That _ comment starts up a mini-argument which wakes up Tim-  _ What do you mean by that?! _ Damian asks, and Jason replies,  _ Do you really need me to explain what child abuse and child  _ neglect _ are- _ but in the end, the conversation falls away when Damian lets out a hearty yawn. They make it through two more movies before Dick decides that’s enough time on the couch for the night. 

He pulls Damian into his arms as Tim gets to his feet, wobbling about until Jason steadies him with a hand to his shoulder.  _ “You _ need to sleep in a  _ bed,” _ Dick chides, to Tim, before telling Damian the same thing. 

Sleepily- though, tomorrow, Damian will deny everything- Damian rests his cheek on Dick’s shoulder and whispers, “Only if you stay.” 

Dick doesn’t answer as he brings Damian upstairs. He doesn’t worry about running into Bruce- it’s late enough to place him out on the streets, and Bruce had only come home from W.E. long enough for a dinner that Dick hadn’t attended. He makes a note to pull away from Damian long enough to check on Tim and Jason, and make sure the two of them get to bed okay. 

Once they’re in Damian’s room- it’s come so far from its original ‘borderline barracks’ state, with art supplies scattered around an easel, and sketchbooks piled up on his desk- Dick pulls back the covers and blankets with one hand, and carefully deposits Damian onto the mattress with the other. It’s domestic enough to make Dick’s heart start to pound- too much like the movies they’d watched. When Damian’s hand doesn’t let go of Dick’s shirt, his heart only pounds faster. 

“Damian?” Dick asks, quietly. 

In no more than a sleepy mumble, Damian says, “Don’t go.” 

The position is awkward on Dick’s back. He’s still arched over Damian, Damian’s fist fixed in the folds of his sleeve. Briefly, he thinks about pulling away, and then squishes down the thought faster than lightning. That’s not what he wants to do. 

He wants to curl up beside Damian, again- and in the end, he thinks,  _ I’m going to have to wake him in a little bit anyway. _

“Okay,” he says, pushing Damian over a little to give himself enough room to slip under the covers. He pulls them up to Damian’s shoulder, before tugging his little brother closer to his chest, rubbing his thumb in circles over Damian’s back. “I’m not gonna go anywhere.” 

“Goodnight, dad,” Damian hums.

He’s asleep in seconds, but Dick’s heart goes from pounding in his chest to stilling like ice. It’s the first time that he’s ever heard Damian call Dick  _ dad- _ a clear difference from that  _ ‘baba’ _ that Dick’s been hearing these past few weeks. Dick’s not even sure that Damian realizes that he says it. Whenever Damian’s in his ‘normal’ state- snappy, quiet, calculating- he only ever calls Dick  _ ‘Richard’ _ or the ever-dwindling  _ ‘Grayson’. _

_ Maybe, _ Dick thinks,  _ each time he says it is only a mistake.  _

Still, it makes Dick’s heart do a funny flip when he thinks about it. He already knows, deep down, that the kid in his arms is  _ his _ kid. He’s the one who raised him, for all that time.  _ He’s _ the one that comes to every performance and art show he has-  _ Dick’s _ the one that never fails to show when Damian calls. 

Bruce doesn’t, and yet, Damian still calls  _ him _ ‘Father’. 

Bruce doesn’t deserve the title. 

But-

Does Dick? 


	4. acting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick and Damian go undercover as Bartholomew and Robin Anderson- as father and son. Dick starts to get in his own head, and in the end, he wonders if the mission really is worth it this time around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next chapter: dick takes a leap of faith and bruce gets mad. :)
> 
> it'll be up either tomorrow or the next day, depending on when i get the next chapter written up. :) for now, i hope this is good!! tysm for all of your support so far!!

Like always, the Waynes recover fast. When Dick’s head stops ringing and Damian can sleep a full night without waking- which has always been a tough feat, even before that kidnapping- Bruce says that they’re un-benched and sends them back out onto the streets. Jason- who had been cleared much earlier than the two of them- decides to patrol with them. So does Tim. 

Each time, Bruce calls Damian- well, Batman calls _Robin-_ to his side during patrol. Damian looks Dick in the eye and then disappears down the way, something like guilt lingering in his gaze. Jason curses whenever it happens- he kicks at stray trash cans and says, _What does Bruce even_ do _to deserve that damn kid!_ Tim’s expression goes carefully blank whenever he watches Damian rush to catch up with Batman- who doesn’t even slow down as he swings through the city. 

At the wee hours of the morning, when patrol is over and sleep has been slept, Dick finds Jason and Tim perched on the counters of the kitchen as Alfred starts to make their breakfast. The three of them- because Alfred always does his best to keep out of such conversations as these- complain about Bruce and his treatment of Damian. When Alfred _does_ add in his own two cents, it’s quiet. He doesn’t defend Bruce. He doesn’t put Damian down. _Alfred_ doesn’t pick sides. 

Dick is grateful each time. 

More incidents pass by in the blink of an eye, and Dick keeps himself in Gotham to see them unravel. Bruce promises to pick Damian up from school again. He promises three times, and only shows up once. Damian calls Dick to pick him up the second time Bruce fails to show up, and the other time, he calls Tim. Tim had called Dick while Tim was on his way to the school, to rant about how ‘seriously’ Bruce took his responsibilities as a parent. 

“He shouldn’t have children,” Tim says, bluntly. He comes home with Damian, who seems more wrapped up in staring at his phone, than Bruce not coming to pick him up. “Bruce should be the _last_ man on Earth to be in charge of children.” 

He’s right, of course. 

More time passes, from that point. Damian joins Dick, Tim and Jason on patrol when he can. Bruce picks up a case that only grows increasingly more complex, and soon enough, Batman comes to what’s left of his Batclan and says, “We need someone to go undercover.” Once he says it, he begins to detail his plan, but Dick knows that he’s leaving enough of it out to keep them from asking, _why, Bruce, why?_ That’s how it always goes, with Bruce. He keeps things from them for their safety- or so he’ll always claim. 

“What _kind_ of undercover?” Dick asks, once he’s finished. He hasn’t really gone into specifics- had only ruled Tim out from being able to go undercover, because his brains were needed for a separate part of the plan. 

“Only distraction. Go around and pick out anomalies at the party. Keep said anomalies busy, to give Red Robin-” -and, oh, how Dick absolutely _hates_ how Bruce always opts to use their code names, even when they're in the cave- “-enough time to sneak behind the scenes, and find the necessary files.”

He explains the party as a family scene, rather than one for a single adult to go visit. The man they're going after has a daughter a little younger than Damian, so it's easy to say that there's going to be plenty of children milling around. There's going to be other informants there. Dick's pretty sure that it's all a set up for some sort of illegal child trafficking ring. It wouldn't be the first time Bruce slipped them misinformation to sell a case. 

“I've already decided that Damian will go-” -only more evidence towards Dick's case- “-and that I should accompany him. If there's any need for brute strength, we have the Red Hood present.”

Dick kind of wants to ask, _what about me,_ just to mess with his plans. Then, a thought strikes him.

“You'll be more valuable as Batman, not Bruce Wayne,” Dick claims, moving to place a hand on Damian's shoulder. Despite being about twelve, Damian still looks ten years old. Dick only files the fact away as the possible product of Damian's year long death. By all means, he _should_ only be about eleven- he'd lost an entire year because of the Heretic and his blade. (Because of _Talia_ and her _weapon.)_ “Why don't you let Damian and I go? The public's more used to seeing the two of us together, rather than you two.” 

It's true. Even after Bruce's own stint as a dead man, it was always Damian and Dick about town. Sometimes, it was Damian and Tim, or Damian, Dick _and_ Tim, or even Dick, Tim, Damian and _Jason._ (Which, honestly, is a mouthful to think about sometimes.) Either way, Dick's been out with Damian far more than anyone else in the family- especially Bruce. 

It's only recently that Bruce has been trying to get more spotlight with Damian, despite the fact that Damian didn't _like_ being in the spotlight. He loathed the media's attention, and when Dick was out with him- or, if Tim was- he always tried to curb the attention of the cameras towards him. Tim was good at confusing reporters by changing the topic of conversation to his work at W.E., or his latest projects. If a journalist wanted to know about his current romantic life, or Damian's past, Tim would only start talking about W.E.'s latest plan to donate money towards new housing in poorer areas. Dick, however, would happily mix up the media with whatever topic he felt like rambling about. Most times, he was perfectly fine with humoring reporters, or with flat out telling them: _I'm just trying to have a nice day out. Sorry, but no comment._

Bruce only wanted to throw Damian and himself into the media's way. It was part of his act as Brucie Wayne- Brucie adored the cameras and the fame. While he _was_ good at answering questions without really answering them, he still loved to talk to all reporters alike. Sometimes, he slipped them far more information than Dick liked- though, because Bruce _was_ a paranoid and calculating person, he let it slide more times than not. 

Regardless, it’d be better if Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne went to the party, instead of Bruce and Damian. Not only would Dick be able to steer away from any nosy reporters and keep Damian from making a possible scene, but he could even keep an eye on Damian, in case the party seemed to be more than Bruce said. This way, Bruce wouldn’t be able to send Damian into something Dick didn’t know about, too. 

“It makes sense,” Jason grumbles out, low like thunder. He’s probably thinking along the same lines as Dick. “That way, if anything goes awry on Tim’s side, B can shoot on over. You’ve got the same knack for technology as Replacement does.” 

With the cowl on, Dick can’t see the way that Bruce’s face scrunches in displeasure, but he imagines it all the same. The dominos that all the ex-Robin’s wear always give enough room for emotion to show, even through your eyes. Bruce’s cowl doesn’t- it’s partly why Dick always loathed it so much. He couldn’t get across his _real_ emotions unless he was using his lips, but even then it was hard to convey finer emotions. A frown was negative. A smile was positive. 

Those felt too simple to Dick, but Bruce probably felt like that much emotion was already leaning towards too much. 

“Fine,” Bruce scowls, frowning under the cowl. In frustration? In anger? In disappointment? Who knows. 

And so, the plan rolls into action. It’s fine tuned, and in the end, Dick and Damian arrive at the party under the aliases Bartholomew Anderson, and his son, Robin Anderson. Bruce’s scowl had increased hundredfold when Tim had suggested the name for Damian- once it was found that it was far easier to do the mission whilst undercover, rather than as the Waynes. Dick’s own name had come from Jason, who’d smirked as he’d said it. Dick was pretty sure that Bruce’s brow would have been twitching if he hadn’t had the cowl on. 

_As in Barry Allen?_ Tim had asked, moments before assigning Damian the new name of Robin. Jason had nodded. They’d shared a fist bump. _Chill,_ Tim had said.

Now, Dick stands with his hand on Damian’s shoulder, as some man talks his ear off. He keeps calling Dick _Bart_ rather than the _Barry_ he’d introduced himself with. He calls Damian _Robbie_ and it makes Damian’s nose scrunch up. Damian- as part of the act- bounces on his heels as if antsy, and keeps making sideways glances to the other children running around. Each time Dick tells him that it’s okay if he goes off and plays with them, Damian fixes his hold on Dick’s suit jacket and promptly shakes his head. 

It makes Dick feel better, to know that Damian would rather stick by his side, even if Dick _does_ think it’d be best if Damian went to go play with some kids his own age. 

Eventually, both Dick and Damian realize that the man they’re talking too- Mr. Argen, as he’d introduced himself- has nothing to offer. He’s not suspicious. He just really loves his daughter. To escape the conversation Damian tugs on Dick’s sleeve and looks up at him with big, green eyes. “Dad,” he says, in a sort of whiny-and-soft-and-cute voice, “can we go get something to eat really quick?” 

Even though it’s all an act, Dick’s heart flutters and stills all the same. As he responds, he lets himself pretend like this is _real,_ like his little brother really _is_ his son. “Of course, sweetheart,” he replies, switching his hand to grab onto Damian’s. It’s calloused and rough, like his, with scars crossing the palms. Dick turns his attention to Mr. Argen for a moment and nods in the direction of the snacks table. As sheepishly as he can, he tells Mr. Argen, “Sorry,” before directing Damian away from them. 

As their hands swing between them, Dick thinks, _I want to be like this all the time._ He wants to be able to hear Damian call him dad freely. He wants to be able to think of Damian as _his_ without feeling guilty for it- without thinking of Bruce when he does it. It’s a terrible thing to want- a terrible thing to _wish_ for. He feels that guilt bubble up in his gut and twist. 

“Dad?” Damian asks again, playing off his shy-and-curious act easily. He peers up through his lashes, bringing his thumb to his mouth, but he doesn’t bite at it. “When are we going home?” 

To anyone listening in on their conversation, it would sound like the kind of question that any child would ask. Dick can hear the undercurrent, though. Damian’s trying to ask if he’s okay- _Do we need to go home and call off the mission?_

“Not for a while, buddy,” Dick replies, crouching down to Damian’s level. He tries to convey through his eyes alone that he’s okay. _We don’t need to call off the mission. I’m okay._

 _“Can_ we go home?” Damian asks, a moment later. _It’s okay if you need to call it off. We don’t have to stay here._

Damian says it like it’s up to him to decide. He says it like if they leave, nothing will happen. Bruce won’t get mad. Tim will be able to finish the mission. When Dick takes Damian’s hands into his, ready to tell Damian that he’s okay again, the hidden comm in his ear buzzes. 

_“Just go,”_ says Jason, voice tinny. _“We’re almost done here, and there’s no reason for you two to be mingling anymore, anyway-”_

 _“You will stay where you are,”_ Bruce gruffs out, cutting off Jason’s sentence. 

Dick already knows who he’d rather listen to, anyway. In one fell swoop, he gathers Damian up in his arms and snuggles his cheek against Damian’s for show, drawing out some fake-giggles from the kid. Damian squeals out, _“Dad!”_

Dick’s heart soars higher. “Let’s go home, sweetheart,” he says, loud enough to announce it to anyone around them, and loud enough for his comms to pick it up. As he carries Damian out of the party, Bruce’s voice growls in his ear.

_“Don’t abandon the Mission, Nightwi-”_

With one click, Dick turns off his comms, and for a moment-

For a moment, Dick gets to pretend that he’s just a dad carrying his son to the car. For a moment, he gets to pretend like the most he has to worry about is bills and bedtimes and parties. For a moment, Dick feels perfectly content.

He never wants that feeling to end.


	5. upset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick takes a leap of faith while arguing with Bruce, and Damian follows suit.

When Bruce returns from their mission, he finds Dick and Damian curled up on the couch upstairs. He’s furious, nostrils flaring and brows creased hard enough that Dick’s worried they won’t ever return to normal. Dick can see Tim and Jason behind him, and when he makes eye contact with Tim, Tim shoots him a thumbs up.  _ We’re okay,  _ he mouths.  _ No one got hurt. B’s pissed that you left. _

Well, Dick can see that clear as day. Part of him wants to stand up and move in front of Damian, to protect him from Bruce’s rage. The other part of him wants to piss Bruce off even more and just stay seated. So, he stays on the couch and pulls Damian closer to him, wrapping his arms around his son-

And, saying that feels like a thousand pounds were just lifted from Dick’s shoulders. Being able to say it so  _ freely _ makes him feel light enough to  _ float. _

“What’s up, B?” Dick asks, shifting so he can peer over the edge of the couch, without alerting Damian to how mad Bruce is. No doubt, Damian can already feel the change in atmosphere, and hear the testing tone in Dick’s voice. Even so, Damian doesn’t move to look over the edge with Dick. He just buries his head a little closer to Dick’s thigh, where his head is resting. Dick starts to run his fingers through Damian’s hair- oddly soft, as if he’d just gotten out of the shower. 

Bruce’s fists clench so hard, his knuckles go white. Dick swears he hears his vein burst- swears he can see steam billowing from his ears. “You abandoned your  _ post, _ Dick,” he says, levelly. It’s oddly calm, for the pure anger that's rolling off him in waves. 

Damian winces all the same. Bruce’s voice- however cold it might be- must remind him of Talia. 

“If I stayed,” Dick says, thankful that Bruce is going to catch the wrong meaning to his words, “I would have messed up the mission regardless. I felt comfortable enough leaving, because I knew you’d be okay.” 

“We  _ never _ know, in our line of work, Dick. Something could have  _ happened- _ One of the men there-” 

_ “All _ of the men there were just loving dads who were watching their kids play together. To think I’d even thought that this might be a child trafficking ring- all the men there were really nice, B. They weren’t going to pull anything in front of their kids.” 

Dick knows that Bruce is only mad because of the  _ principle  _ of it. Dick abandoned his post. Who’s to say that he won’t do the same in any other situation? Would he ditch the mission in the middle of a shoot out? Would he turn tail and run whenever he felt like it, even if Bruce  _ needed _ him out there? Dick already knows the answer- if Bruce had ever been in trouble, or if Dick ever felt like his brothers could have been hurt, Dick never would have left. It’s all he can do to keep himself calm as he thinks,  _ why doesn’t Bruce get that, too? I value family over everything. _

Well, and then there’s the fact that: If  _ Damian _ had been in trouble, Dick would have left that party with Damian over his shoulders even if it meant something could go wrong. Bruce can handle himself better than anyone else Dick knows, besides maybe Jason. Even Tim can hold his own, and besides, Dick knows he’d have gotten Damian to a secure location before rushing back to go help Tim and Jason. 

Dick loves his brothers. Dick loves Damian. Dick even loves  _ Bruce. _ It’s not a hard concept to understand, so why doesn’t Bruce  _ know _ that? 

“You shouldn’t have left, Dick-” 

In the most sincere voice he can muster, Dick says, “It’s  _ okay, _ B. I promise you, it’s okay.” 

It might seem out of place. 

It stops Bruce right in his tracks- until he lets out a booming, “It  _ isn’t _ alright, Dick!” His voice grows quieter, but it’s still just as cold and sharp as he continues. “It wasn’t only you who put the mission at risk, tonight. While you made the ultimate decision to abandon your post,  _ Damian _ was the one who first suggested that you leave in the first place. I don’t think you two understand this- You cannot just  _ leave  _ in the middle of a  _ mission _ unless it’s under dire circumstances!” 

Dick’s brow twitches. “Damian realized that I could’ve put the mission in jeopardy with how I was acting. I was getting into my own head. We  _ had _ to abandon post, or someone would’ve realized something was wrong.” 

It’s a little sad, how Dick doesn’t realize he’s mostly just pulling words out of his own ass to make what he did sound okay. He knows he shouldn’t have done what he did. He  _ also _ knows that he’d have done it again in a heartbeat. Spending the night as a  _ normal _ family-  _ (a dad and his son, _ his mind echoes, and  _ god _ how nice it felt to think like that, if only for a few hours)- was miles better than staying in a stuffy tux and pretending to be people they weren’t.

Though, having Damian call him ‘dad’- 

Dick’s heart  _ still _ feels like it’s about to explode.

Dick doesn’t expect Bruce’s next words. “What was  _ wrong, _ Dick?” 

Isn’t  _ that _ a little sad? 

Before Dick’s brain can catch up to his mouth, he admits, far quieter than he meant, “It shouldn’t have felt right- but I don’t know why it  _ did.” _

Bruce looks at him like he’s crazy, and when Dick finally focuses on the hallway behind Bruce, he realizes that both Jason and Tim are gone. They’ve probably fled to the kitchen, realizing that Dick could deal with Bruce by himself.

“What felt right?”

It’s not Bruce who asks the question, it’s Damian. He mumbles it right into the soft fabric of Dick’s old off-brand sweatpants, that he’d bought way back when he first moved into his apartment in Blüdhaven. They’re tight on the ankles, and there’s a hole in the hem. Dick makes a habit to count the bleach splatters over the left leg whenever he does laundry. They’re  _ only _ on the left leg. It’s weird.

“What was that?” Dick asks, even if he’d heard Damian clear as day. It might be a little mean to do- Dick knows that Damian doesn’t like to repeat himself- but  _ that’s  _ not a question Dick wants to answer. 

Damian’s voice sounds like it had at the party- shy and soft and not-very-Damian-like. “What felt right, Richard?” 

It’s the  _ Richard _ that makes Dick’s vision spin. It’s not  _ ‘baba’ _ or  _ ‘dad’, _ and it doesn’t sit right with Dick. Not anymore. While he  _ knows _ that what happened at the party was all an act- Damian calling Dick ‘dad’ openly and freely was only to fool everyone around them. Even so, it feels like a blow to the gut to hear  _ Richard _ come back. 

_ “You, _ Lil’ D,” Dick answers, foolishly. 

Damian shifts, pushing himself off of Dick’s thigh. He immediately feels cold at the loss of contact. Damian cocks his head to the side, nose scrunching, brows creasing. He’s confused, and his tone shows it. “I’m not sure what you mean by that.” 

Dick pretends like Bruce isn’t hanging out right behind them as he says, “Being your  _ dad _ felt right, kiddo. Being there with you-  _ that _ felt right.” 

That’s not all of it- Dick doesn’t say how Damian  _ calling _ him dad made his heart want to burst out of his chest and fly away. He doesn’t explain how it felt completely right, walking away from that party with Damian held tight in his arms, looking like father and son to any on-lookers. He doesn’t even comment on how the lack of costumes- how coming  _ home _ and eating snacks- felt far better than anything Dick could ever imagine. 

He hopes that what he  _ did _ say is enough.

It’s certainly enough to piss Bruce off even further. Bruce rounds the couch, but doesn’t step towards them. His eyes are only on Dick as he says, “He’s  _ my _ son, Dick. He’s  _ your _ brother.” 

Dick moves his hand and squeezes Damian’s wrist tightly. “He hasn’t felt like my  _ brother _ in a long time,” Dick admits, out loud. Damian winces at the words, so Dick’s quick to add, “He’s felt like my  _ son, _ B. I’m the one who took care of him. I’m the one who’s  _ there _ for him.” 

“He’s  _ not  _ your son,” Bruce says, voice shaking. It’s an odd display of emotion that throws Dick off-guard. “He’s not  _ supposed _ to be your son. You’re in your twenties, Dick. Damian’s  _ twelve. _ You aren’t his father-  _ I _ am. I  _ apologize _ if you ever felt like you  _ had _ to be his father-” 

What the  _ hell _ is he trying to say? Bruce adopted Dick when he was around Dick’s age, now. Dick’s certain that they’d both been younger- Dick younger than Damian’s ten years of age, Bruce younger than Dick’s mid-twenties- when it had happened. And- He’s  _ sorry _ that Dick ever had to be Damian’s dad? 

Is Dick the only one who feels like being Damian’s  _ dad  _ is a  _ blessing? _

“There’s a fine line between a  _ father  _ and a  _ dad, _ Bruce. We both know that you haven’t been Damian’s  _ dad _ in a long time. And- I’m  _ proud _ to feel like Damian’s my  _ son. _ He’s an amazing kid, and watching him grow up-” 

_ “Dick, _ ” Bruce warns. “This isn’t a conversation we should be having. You’re Damian’s brother, that’s it. If you’re trying to tell me that I need to step up, in our relationship, then I-” 

Damian interrupts, swiftly picking himself up from the couch, and pulling his wrist from Dick’s grip. He starts with a fumble, a cut off  _ I- I feel- _ That never blooms into a sentence, and Dick watches as Damian’s chest rises once, twice-

He calms himself down, before he says, “Richard is right, Father- I don’t believe you  _ have _ felt like my… my  _ dad _ for a long time. But- It’s not  _ wrong  _ if I-”

While Bruce hazards a step back, before correcting it and moving forward, Dick is quick to scoot towards the edge of the couch, reaching for Damian’s hands again. He coaxes Damian to explain what he means, while Bruce hovers on the outside. Maybe he’s seeing what Dick’s been trying to say, as he watches them. Maybe he understands that Dick’s been Damian’s dad since the day the world ever dared proclaim Bruce dead.

“It’s not  _ wrong _ to feel as if Richard  _ is _ my-” He freezes again, fingers coming up to dig into the flesh of his shoulders. Dick’s own hands fall back onto his laps. He doesn’t try to initiate contact again. Whatever it is that Damian has to say, he needs to say it. “It isn’t wrong to feel like Richard’s my dad, is it? Even if I  _ have _ a father-?” 

The words that fall off of Dick’s tongue-  _ no, Lil’ D, it’s not- It never  _ will  _ be- _ are lost to Bruce’s own, “Dick isn’t your  _ father!  _ Dick isn’t your  _ dad, _ Damian- He’s your  _ brother, _ nothing more-” 

(Dick’s heart gets caught up in the fact that Damian  _ admitted _ it out loud- that Damian said,  _ Dick feels like my dad, _ albeit in other words.) 

“Maybe he  _ is,” _ Damian shoots back. “He’s been here ever since I came! He’s taken care of me, and he’s  _ loved _ me- Who’s to say Richard  _ isn’t _ my dad-?” 

_ “I am!” _ Bruce roars. “You’re both-” 

“We’re both  _ what?” _ Dick challenges, finally standing up. He places a hand on Damian’s shoulder, daring Bruce to continue the argument. 

Bruce doesn’t. He turns on his heel, and storms out the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's one more chapter but it's so far mostly unwritten,,, so lets just hope it comes out soon, okay :)) tysm for your support btw!!


	6. end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick and Damian talk about some things.

For a few moments, Dick stands there, hand resting on Damian’s shoulder. 

Both of their admissions feel too fragile to think about. Dick admitted, out loud, that he felt like he was Damian’s dad and that Damian felt like his son. Damian admitted that he felt the  _ same. _ Dick’s almost afraid to comment on it, in fear that he’d made it all up, or that he’d heard it all wrong. Of course, he hopes he hadn’t. He’d seen Bruce get upset, he’d  _ seen _ him storm out. He’d  _ heard _ Damian’s shaky,  _ He’s taken care of me and he’s loved me. _ He’d heard it, clear as day. There’s no way that he made it up, is there? There’s no way that it was all just a slip of the tongue. 

Still, Dick’s almost scared that he’s asleep. He hardly believes that he’d ever snap at Bruce and claim Damian as his own in real life. After all, that was why he’d ran away, in the first place.  _ That’s _ why he left for Blüdhaven, when Bruce finally decided to remain in Gotham. Dick was so afraid of ruining what he thought Damian wanted- time to be with his father. He wanted a relationship with his  _ dad _ and Dick wasn’t  _ supposed _ to be a part of it. 

And, honestly, Damian did want a relationship with Bruce. He still looked up at Bruce like he hung the stars. But- Damian also wanted a relationship with  _ Dick. _

“Did you really mean it?” Damian asks, breaking through Dick’s train of thought. 

“What was that?” Dick answers, instead. He blinks back into himself, sitting down onto the couch and patting the cushion beside him. Damian sits, ankles crossed and hands folded in his lap. 

“Did you really mean what you said?” he asks again, looking down to his hands. “All of it?” 

Dick reaches out and swipes a hand over Damian’s cheek, pushing some of his hair back. It’s still baby soft. “Of course I meant all of it, Dames. I’m really happy to be able to watch you grow up- and I’m so  _ proud _ of you-” 

Damian looks up when Dick settles his hands back down. “And the other part?” 

Quietly, Dick says,  _ oh,  _ and feels his heart still for the thousandth time since he came home for the weekend, all those weeks ago. For a moment, he almost feels it  _ break- _ Damian doesn’t think that Dick was serious when he said  _ my son _ and  _ his dad. _ It takes one to know one, Dick assumes, because Dick has been thinking the same exact thing. 

Instead of pressing his hand to Damian’s cheek, he goes the extra mile and scoops his son- (!)- up into his arms. While out loud, he says nothing yet, in his mind, he tells himself to start looking for Tim and Jason and tell them what went down. Then, they can host a movie night while Dick figures out where to go from here. He can always take Damian home with him to Blüdhaven, or they can go back to the penthouse in the center of Gotham. Dick will have to change jobs- from the BPD to the GPD, but he’d love to work with Gordon. Or, maybe Dick can even get a  _ new _ job. They can still go out as Robin and Nightwing- unless Damian’s up for a change. 

Is Dick getting ahead of himself? 

He might be, he thinks, when he looks back down to Damian. Damian’s watching him with a calculated stare, his own expression done so perfectly as to not alarm Dick to his inner-feelings. 

“I’m gonna be serious with you for a second, kiddo,” Dick says, once they reach the stairs. There’s a chance that Jason’s in the library instead, but Tim’s probably up in his room. “Everything I said to Bruce- It’s  _ true. _ I do feel like you’re my son. I’m the one who was there for you, when Bruce left. I got the chance to watch you grow and learn and become the  _ amazing _ kid you are today. And- even when I left for Blüdhaven, I  _ still _ felt that way. I don’t know if you remember our chat on the rooftop, a while back-” 

“When you said that you didn’t feel ready to be a father,” Damian replies, and though those weren’t Dick’s  _ exact _ words, Dick nods none-the-less. 

“I was worried that you didn’t feel the same way,” he admits, out loud. “I was worried that I was only going to get in the way of your relationship with Bruce- I thought that you wanted a father-son relationship with  _ him _ more than anything.” 

Damian shifts a little in his hold, moving his arms around Dick’s neck so Damian can settle his head onto his shoulder. Dick stops his walk for a moment to make sure Damian is comfortable, before he keeps moving ahead. “I did want a relationship with Father,” Damian admits, small. His cheek feels warm against Dick’s skin. “That doesn’t mean that I didn’t want one with  _ you, _ though.” 

“I realize that, now,” Dick says. “I also realize that how Bruce  _ treats _ you- it’s not right, Dames. The way he treats you  _ scares _ me sometimes, because if he can forget about someone as precious as you-” 

There’s no pause between Damian lifting his head up with enough force to give him whiplash, and his hiss of,  _ “Father’s doing better-” _ He deflates after that, opting to settle his chin on Dick’s shoulder instead. Curtly, he says, “Apologies.” 

It still makes Dick a little sad how ingrained it is in Damian to defend Bruce. Dick doesn’t even think Damian  _ means _ to do it sometimes.

“I know that how he- how he treats me sometimes isn’t right. Timothy says it plenty- Especially whenever I walk home from school when it slips Father’s mind to collect me. His rants after  _ that _ are ear-splitting.” It says a lot, that Damian never even says anything along the lines of,  _ I thought Drake wouldn’t care. I thought Drake would be  _ happy _ that Father forgot about me. _ “It’s like you said. He might be my father, but he isn’t my dad.” 

All of Dick’s willpower goes towards swallowing his,  _ and I am? _

He moves over to Tim’s door, finally, and his hand hovers over the wood. “So- That’s that, right? You know that I love you? You know that I think of you like my son?” 

Instead of saying,  _ yes, Richard, _ Damian lifts his chin from Dick’s shoulder. “You know that I think of  _ you _ as my dad?” he asks, a twinkle in his eyes.

Dick presses a kiss to Damian’s cheek, making him scowl so hard, Dick’s almost afraid that his frown won’t ever go away. “I think I do. I mean- It  _ took _ awhile for me to get it through my big head, but yeah. I think I really do.” 

In response to Dick’s kiss, Damian roughly wipes at his cheek. 

“That’s only rubbing the kiss in, not getting rid of it.” 

Damian only scowls harder. 

Then, he asks, “It took you awhile? I only just told you-” 

“Well,” Dick hums. “You called me  _ ‘baba’ _ a couple weeks ago out of excitement-” -he starts counting on his fingers- “called me  _ ‘baba’ _ again when we were kidnapped, referred to me as  _ ‘dad’ _ when I tucked you in the night of- Need I go on?”

A flush creeps up Damian’s cheeks, before he says, “Aren’t you going to  _ knock  _ on the door,  _ Baba?” _

Pure, unadulterated  _ love _ rushes through Dick’s blood. Instead of knocking, he loosens his grip on Damian’s thighs and replaces his hold around his son’s- (!!)- waist, and spins him around once. Damian lets off a surprised  _ yelp _ that leads to Tim pulling open his door anyway, giving Dick a glimpse of his dirty room. Jason’s sitting in Tim’s computer chair, legs kicked up over his desk. For a moment, Dick can see the scowl on  _ his _ face, before it melts away. They must’ve been talking about Bruce. 

_ “Baba!” _ Damian shrieks, again- freely,  _ meaningfully, _ and  _ knowingly- _ kicking out with his legs. 

Tim’s face melts into a beaming smile. “You finally talked,” he says. 

“I finally told  _ B,” _ Dick returns, bringing Damian back to his side. He tucks his arm under his son’s- (!!! No matter  _ how _ many times he says it, it’ll always make him happy)- thighs again, and Damian returns his arms around Dick’s neck. “What do you say we have a celebratory movie night?” 

“What if we do a celebratory  _ dinner out?” _ Jason says, launching himself out of the chair. He swings an arm around Dick’s shoulder, poking Damian’s cheek with his other hand. “I could go for some greasy food right now.” 

Damian frowns at Jason, but then adds, “I’d like some salty fries, I suppose.” 

Jason grins. “Then it’s settled. Let’s go out!” 

“I’m not paying,” Tim says, deadpan. “You still owe me for last time.” 

“Me?” Dick asks. “I always pay you back.” 

Tim inclines his head in Jason’s direction and rolls his eyes. “You don’t  _ always _ pay me back. I’m still waiting on those twenty dollars from when I had to fill up your gas tank because you decided that driving to Blüdhaven and then  _ back _ to Gotham because you realized that you forgot to tell Damian where you hid that picture was a good idea.” 

“At the time, it  _ sounded _ like a good one. Sue me.” 

“Oh, I think I will. Forty dollars for emotional damages.” 

Damian tightens his arms around Dick’s neck as Tim and Jason take the lead down the stairs. Without a word, he presses his lips to Dick’s cheek, feather light and almost hesitant. In no more than a whisper, he says, “You know I love you too, right?” 

“I always do,” Dick whispers back. 

He always  _ will. _

They leave the house as father and son. It’s no figment of Dick’s imagination, and it’s no fake feeling that he’s conjured up out of the blue. It’s  _ real, _ this time. With that information, Dick feels like he can take on the entire world. 

(“Does this mean he’s our nephew, now?” Jason asks, once they’ve all settled into the car. “Am I the cool vodka aunt?” 

“You  _ could _ just be the tequila cousin,” Tim warns, before adding, “I don’t want to be the  _ whiskey _ uncle.” 

Lost, Dick lists, “Whiskey uncle? Vodka aunt?  _ Tequila cousin? _ Do you have any idea what they’re saying, Lil’ D?” 

From the backseat, Damian shakes his head. There’s a smile on his lips that Dick doesn’t miss. 

Dick knows this feeling. 

It’s the feeling of  _ home  _ and of being  _ content. _ It’s the feeling of  _ happiness, _ and Dick wouldn’t trade it for the world.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tysm for following along for this entire trip! ik it's short, but it was very fun to write! (also, p sure this chapter mimics the most recent chapter of _i am we_ a bit too much. shh.)


End file.
